Fallen Rock
by Lady Morning
Summary: Stonetail is ecstatic to become a new warrior of MistClan! But when the sun rises and the cold night vigil ends, a motionless lump lies in the camp clearing. My fourth challenge for NightClan, and a multi-chapter. Please read and review!
1. Blood on Ice

**Hey! It just took me about three tries to write the word "hey" correctly! I've already been writing too much today! Yay!**

**Alright, today I present to you... my fourth and final challenge for NightClan! This one's a multi-chapter. This is the first of three! I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: Despite my love of cats, my pen name is not Erin Hunter. I regret to say that I do not own Warriors.**

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**Fallen Rock**

**Chapter One: Blood on Ice**

"Stonepaw, do you pledge yourself to the warrior code? Do you swear to protect and serve MistClan with your life?"

Trembling slightly, Stonepaw gazed around at the faces of her straggly, skinny Clanmates. She knew she would guard them with her life, always. Nothing could send her away from them.

"I do." She held her head high as her voice rang around the clearing.

Icestar nodded from the tree branch where she stood. "Stonepaw, StarClan honors your courage and optimism. From this moment on you shall be known as Stonetail."

A few cheers came from the gathered Clan. Icestar nodded again, her eyes betraying no happiness or pride. "Dismissed."

As the Clan went away to their dens, Stonetail's father, Rockwhisker padded over to her. "Well done." His face glowed with pride. "I knew you could do it, even if our Clan isn't enthusiastic."

Stonetail purred softly. "Thank you." She hadn't dared to hope for more from her Clan. Everyone knew MistClan was less than enthusiastic. Stonetail would help to make it stronger. She would be the best warrior there. MistClan would thrive again, and not just from the land they'd invaded from the three other Clans, BrightClan, IvyClan, and BlackClan.

Rockwhisker rested his muzzle on his daughter's head for a moment. "Your mother would have been proud."

Stonetail closed her eyes as the familiar ache settled in. Her mother had died shortly after giving birth to her. Her sister, Leafkit, had died less than a quarter moon later. Stonetail had never even had the chance to smell her mother's scent, and she was alone as she received her warrior name.

But that was in the past. Now Stonetail had her father. And she was a warrior!

A gruff voice spoke from behind. "You have to keep your vigil."

Stonetail turned to face Darkfoot, her mentor. His white pelt was grimy and it almost blended into his gray feet. Every cat knew he never washed.

Stonetail dipped her head. Though he hadn't taught her much, she was grateful he'd told Icestar to make her a warrior.

"I'll see you in the morning," Rockwhisker said. He and Darkfoot padded to the warriors' den. Soon, Stonetail would sleep there too! She walked over to the MistClan camp entrance, and stood on a low branch of the tree just outside.

Near MistClan, a small lake rippled softly in the wind. Great billows of fog clouded over it, giving the Clan their name. It always looked so peaceful, no matter what the Clan who lived by it did.

Stonetail wondered if StarClan even watched over the Clan anymore. They never seemed upset the many times Icestar led MistClan into battle. Even when it was for no reason. And MistClan won.

Icestar always took it as a sign that StarClan approved of their actions. But Stonetail didn't know what to think.

Stonetail held her head higher and forced herself to focus. This was her warrior vigil.

She fluffed her fur against the cold and watched the moon gradually inch across the sky.

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Morning came far sooner than Stonetail had expected the wait too be, but not nearly soon enough. As the dawn patrol left, she hopped down from her branch and re-entered the camp.

She had never expected to see what she saw.

Icestar sat in the clearing, part of the Clan around her. Her claws were covered in blood, and a motionless dark gray form lay at her feet. The MistClan leader looked up sharply at Stonetail's entrance, murder in her eyes. Her gaze couldn't seem to focus.

To Stonetail's surprise, she spoke calmly. "He was a traitor," the leader said, her voice ringing around the camp. "I caught him. MistClan is safe now."

Stonetail staggered towards the body. Blood was seeping out from a gash in the throat. Brown eyes stared sightlessly up.

It was Rockwhisker.

An involuntary wail rose from Stonetail's thoat. "No!" She stumbled back. "He can't be dead!"

Without waiting, she turned and raced from the MistClan camp, running as fast as she could. One word echoed in her mind again and again, in time to the pounding of her paws.

_No! No! No! No!_

Sprinting faster than she ever had run before, Stonetail wondered whether Icestar was chasing her. Then she realized something.

It was all her fault. If she hadn't been keeping vigil, she would have been in camp to help. She could have saved him. Rockwhisker should have been alive!

Stonetail should have known better. It wasn't the first time MistClan had woken up one less to see a cat with blood on their claws. They'd always had a reason of course, even if it wasn't a good one. Stonetail had never considered the possibility that _she_ could be affected.

One thing was certain. Rockwhisker was dead. Her father was dead and she could never return to MistClan.

The echoing _No!_ in her mind suddenly changed.

_Alone. Alone. Alone. Alone._

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**And there you go. The first chapter has been completed.**

**This ended up taking place in the world of ****_Silver Linings_****, my main multi-chapter fic. I'm loving this world more and more the deeper I go into it. Stonetail is about a generation before Silver, if you're interested.**

**Now for some other stuff.**

**Firstly, please review! Seriously, it's the reason why I write on . I value your opinions so much!**

**Second, please check out ****_Silver Linings_**** and vote on the poll on my profile. I'm looking for a new name for that story!**

**Next, kindly check out NightClan. It's a great place with challenges like this one! Link: ** forum/Nightclan/136859/

**Finally, check out my forum, LightClan. It has awesome roleplay, great writers and even purpley-blue chickens! Come on down! Link: ** forum/LightClan/136719/

**Sorry this got so long, but I had things to say.**

**Keep writing! **


	2. Under the Pine

**Hello again! I was disappointed by the small number of reviews I received for the first chapter, but hopefully here, there'll be more. It's up to you!**

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**Chapter Two: Under the Pine**

Her father flickered in front of her eyes. She purred at the sight of him. It almost felt as if it had been forever since she'd seen him. Then, he suddenly yowled at her, rage directed straight at her. She tried to flinch but she was frozen. The angry yowl abruptly turned to a pained scream, almost not cat-like. And the grey tom vanished, sinking into shadow...

Stonetail woke up, panting. Her head shot up from where in rested in her moss-lined dip in the ground. Her breathing slowly calmed.

It was nearly a half moon later, and Stonetail still had nightmares every night.

MistClan hadn't found her - yet, but she figured it was only a matter of time before they did. Icestar was well-known for her persistence. Along with her blood thirst and desire for territory that could never be quenched.

Stonetail shook thoughts of her father's murderer out of her mind, still struggling to cast the dream from her mind.

The young warrior had fled to the other end of the MistClan lake, a journey that had taken a full day and longer because she'd stopped to rest after her vigil. Patrols rarely ventured here, but Icestar was so desperate for territory these days...

But even if MistClan didn't find her, the lake marked the BlackClan border. Stonetail figured they'd find her soon. Duskstar had been making veiled threats at the last Gathering. BlackClan was the only Clan untouched by MistClan's need for battle, but no cat thought that would last.

Stonetail picked herself up and shook the bits of moss from her fur. She hated sleeping this close to the lake. Everything was damp and soaked. She'd have to find some fresh dry moss, and try to dry this batch. She padded farther from the lake and squinted through the thick mist. It was thicker than ever this morning. Just her luck.

Perhaps she'd try fishing instead. All the moss everywhere would be already drenched.

She turned around to go back, but heard a voice from her right.

"Stop! Stay right there!"

Stonetail froze. It was Icestar's patrol! They were coming for her!

She sprinted away, dashing through the fog, searching for a place to hide.

"Stop!" the voice yowled again. She heard feet pounding the ground. They were giving chase!

Suddenly, a tree appeared out of nowhere in front of her and she smashed into it! She sat back, hard, and vaguely saw her pursuer stop beside her. One cat. Before her vision cleared, she scented something. BlackClan! This cat was BlackClan!

Finally, she stopped seeing stars, and took in the sight of the cat. He was powerfully built, muscles lining his shoulders. His brown pelt was plain, with no speckles, patches, or stripes. His equally boring brown eyes were looking her over.

"What are you doing in BlackClan territory?" he asked.

Stonetail gulped. "BlackClan territory? I didn't cross the border line." Had she?

"It's way back there." The young tom pointed his tail in the direction she'd come. "And you're MistClan. Is this a distraction?"

Stonetail blinked. "A-?"

"A distraction! Don't play dumb with me!" The tom paced around her. "You're MistClan! And you're on my territory! You're coming with me! To camp!"

Stonetail winced. "Please. I really mean no harm. It was an accident!"

"Follow me!" The tom marched around her and Stonetail could see there was no way out of this. She let him lead her to his camp.

As they drew farther from the lake, the mist gradually lessened. Stonetail had to sharply swerve around trees often. BlackClan was thick with forest and shadows, unlike MistClan, where everything was more spacious. Finally, the fog cleared completely and Stonetail realized they were following a well-worn trail.

More BlackClan scent flooded over the pair and three cats stalked out of the forest to meet them.

"Brownclaw, who's that?" asked a black-furred she-cat.

"I caught a MistClan warrior!" The tom held his head high and his chest stuck out. "She was trespassing."

"Trespassing!" A tabby tom's fur bristled, his gray eyes flashing. "So you brought her to our camp?"

Stonetail's escort suddenly looked nervous. "Did I do the right thing? I thought she should answer to Duskstar, but..."

The third cat, a small speckled gray she-cat darted forward, her tail held high. "I think you did great!" Her tail waved excitedly. "You've already caught a warrior, on your second day as a warrior!"

"Quiet, Blossompaw." The black she-cat put her tail over the apprentice's mouth.

The brown tom was looking even more doubtful. "So... do I just take her back to the border?"

The black she-cat shook her head. "Stop worrying, Brownclaw. You did great. Stripefoot's just being cranky."

Stripefoot narrowed his eyes. "Nightfur, just because you have an apprentice doesn't mean-"

"Doesn't mean what? You're just jealous because your sister and brother got apprentices before you." Nightfur turned her nose up. Blossompaw seemed to be hiding laughter.

Stripefoot's eyes flashed. "Shut up!" He glanced at Stonetail. "We have a prisoner!"

Nightfur nodded, but didn't say anything, her eyes glimmering triumphantly.

Brownclaw started down the path. "Let's go!"

Stonetail wondered if she should have tried to escape earlier. She reluctantly followed Brownclaw, and Stripefoot, Nightfur and Blossompaw fell in around her, escorting her to their camp.

Stonetail tried to look around Brownclaw, but Stripefoot bumped her.

"Keep moving," he growled.

Stonetail swallowed and picked up the pace. Suddenly, the scent of many more cats washed over her, and Brownclaw ducked under the low branches of a pine tree. Stonetail wondered at it for a second, the sole of its kind among a forest of squashed deciduous trees. Then she followed Brownclaw. Into the BlackClan camp.

She looked around, startled at how similar it was to the MistClan camp. It was an ordinary clearing with boring bramble den, leaves filling the cracks. There was even a thick tree branch jutting out from the pine that marked the entrance. It was cleared of needles, and was evidently BlackClan's highbranch. Stonetail was suddenly reminded of her warrior ceremony, when Icestar alighted on a similar branch...

As she padded through the camp, faces peeked out from the dens, and cats stared from various places around the camp, sharing tongues or eating freshkill.

A cat with gray fur and black speckles walked up to the patrol. His yellow eyes pierced into each returning cat, shooting daggers that instantly told you the kind of power he possessed. Duskstar.

His gaze landed on Stonetail last. Trying to hide her slight trembling, she met his stare boldly. The eyes seemed to see right through her, to read her thoughts, to know her name.

She glanced away, looking at her paws.

"I caught her trespassing," Brownclaw told his leader, respect evident in his voice. "She crossed the border without a concern. So I brought her here, you know, in case MistClan were finally... finally here."

Duskstar didn't reply. Stonetail could still feel his eyes scorching into her.

Then he spoke. His voice was deep and husky, almost gravelly, as if he'd swallowed some needles from the pine tree.

"What," he said, "are you doing here?"

Stonetail dared to look up. His gaze was not friendly. But something seemed to be urging her on, telling her to do it.

"I'm Stonetail," she said, hating that her voice was a bit high-pitched. "I-I'm not part of MistClan any more, and..." She hesitated, then blurted out, "I want to join BlackClan!"

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**Cliffhanger!**

**I'm sorry this took me so long to get out. I really have a lot of stuff to write, and trying to get it all done at once was really stressful for me. I also had writers' block for a bit, so I had to partially rewrite it.**

**The third chapter will be here soon! Thanks for reading - and reviewing!**


	3. Fields of Onions

**Hello once more!**

**I'm sad to post this in a way, because I'll be leaving this fanfic behind. This is, in fact the last chapter. But I'm also glad, because...**

**a) I will be a warrior of NightClan! (Come here: ** forum/Nightclan/136859/)

**b) I will have finished something! A multi-chapter!**

**Thank you all for reviewing, and please do if you haven't. This is my first completed multi-chapter fanfic, and I'd really appreciate some constructive criticism.**

**Now, my blabbering is complete. To the conclusion of ****_Fallen Rock._**

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**Chapter Three: Fields of Onions**

There was quiet for a moment. Above, dark clouds slowly moved in. There was sure to be a storm soon.

Finally, Duskstar spoke. "And what makes you think that I'd _ever _let a MistClan reject join my Clan?"

Stonetail let her eyes flick back down to her paws. "I..." Why had she said that? "I don't know. Forget I asked. It's a stupid request."

A queen spoke from the watching mass of BlackClan cats. "Stonetail? You wouldn't be Pearlfall and Rockwhisker's kit, would you?"

Stonetail nodded, trying not to let her silent agony show. Both those cats were dead. She was alone. She felt she had to say something though. "Rockwhisker died half a moon ago," she said softly.

She glanced up and was surprised to see that some of BlackClan had bowed their heads.

"I knew Rockwhisker," Duskstar said. "He was an honourable warrior, maybe the last in MistClan."

Surprised by his comment, Stonetail decided to ignore the dig at MistClan. It was probably true, after all. "Thank you."

The leader raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

A striped warrior with grey flecks around his muzzle stepped forward. "How did he die?"

Stonetail opened and closed her mouth. What should she say? The truth? Should she confess to BlackClan the full extent of Icestar's treachery?

Then she almost laughed. Why should she cover for Rockwhisker's murderer? Better that Icestar be revealed. Stonetail would never return to MistClan.

"Icestar. She killed him." The words almost caught in her throat. It still was painful. Stonetail wondered if it would ever not be.

Duskstar's eyes narrowed, as the Clan gasped behind him. The gray muzzled warrior who had stepped forward looked horrified. Stonetail closed her eyes a moment, wishing it would all just go away, that she could be with her father again... A sudden sob shook her slightly and a wail began to rise from her throat before it tightened painfully.

"Why did she kill him?" It was Duskstar's voice, hard and unsympathetic.

Stonetail wrenched her eyes open. "I don't know! How should I?" She felt rage boil up inside her and her fur bristled. "I shouldn't even have to be here! I've done nothing wrong!" She yowled the last few words, letting her anger at Icestar take over.

Duskstar regarded her coldly. "Fine. Go. Leave." He waved his tail. "Brownclaw. Snowfall. Yellowpaw. Make sure she leaves BlackClan territory." He murmured something in a warrior's ear who Stonetail assumed must be Snowfall. Her fur was spotless, pure white.

The she-cat padded forward, confirming Stonetail suspicions, and a cream-furred apprentice came up next to her. Brownclaw waited beside Stonetail while the Clan dispersed, though the gray warrior noticed that some stayed and watched her warily or curiously. Stonetail glared at them, still furious from her outburst.

Snowfall led the way under the pine needles, the apprentice - Yellowpaw - at her side. Stonetail couldn't help but feel a stab of regret as she followed. BlackClan was obviously a fine Clan and well-run. She was almost sad to leave it.

Stonetail squeezed out under the tree and the needles dug into her fur. She reached the end and shook herself. She followed Snowfall, and Yellowpaw walked beside her. Her original brown-furred escort followed closely. The patrol traveled in silence. Birdsong could be heard clearly throughout the forest, and Stonetail itched to hunt. But she restrained herself.

Finally, the trees began to thin out. And the blue-eyed she-cat noticed something was off.

"Where's the mist?" She stopped. "Where's the lake?"

Snowfall circled to face her. "Duskstar thought we should bring you through our territory. To the cliffs."

The cliffs. The great walls of stone that Stonetail had been named for. They surrounded the four Clans, except for the open side of BrightClan, which was said to lead to swamp.

"Why the cliffs?" Stonetail asked. But she knew the stories as well as any cat.

"There's said to be land beyond," Yellowpaw said, wonder evident in her mew. "Untraveled land with amazing wonders never seen by any cat before."

Stonetail nodded sharply. Duskstar's message was clear; he expected her to leave the Clans.

He wasn't wrong.

Stonetail continued on without saying anything, and the patrol again fell in behind her. On better days, Stonetail would have loved to talk with these cats, to learn about BlackClan and their lives. Now she was content to simply know their names. What was the point? She was leaving and her father was dead. She had no reason to learn.

Suddenly, the trees completely stopped, and out of nowhere, a great wall of stone loomed up in front of them.

"This is the end of BlackClan territory," Brownclaw said. "We'll leave you here."

Stonetail nodded, staring up the vast vertical expanse.

She saw the patrol turn to leave out of the corner of her eye.

"Good luck." Snowfall waved her tail.

"Thank you." Stonetail gazed at her, knowing she could be the last cat she saw for a very long time.

The white she-cat dipped her head and the trio slipped away into the trees. Stonetail looked back at the rock. She thought she could see a path. And she started forwards.

But before she could begin on the long journey, she spotted something at the bottom of the cliff. A purple flower. An onion flower.

Onions were common throughout the Clans and were known for being useless. They grew everywhere, tasted horrible, and weren't useful to medicine cats. They were useless.

_Just like me. _Stonetail stared at the flower, then realized the thin stretch of grass between the cliff and forest was dotted with the purple blossoms. A field of onions.

Stonetail scented the air, and breathed in the sweet aroma of the pollen. Useless, but beautiful. And still alive. Like her.

Then a thought struck her. Yes, her father was dead. Yes, it hurt. But she was alive. And she had a chance. A chance to be alive again, to be safe from Icestar. Maybe she'd be lonely, but maybe not. Perhaps, somewhere out there, there was another Clan, a great and powerful group of cats who would gladly take her in.

Whatever happened, Stonetail knew StarClan would be with her.

She breathed in the scent of the onions one last time, and started forwards, hope alight in her heart. The purple flowers swayed gently in a soft breeze, and the above storm clouds gradually misted away.

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**And there you have it; the completion of ****_Fallen Rock_****! I must say, I'm rather pleased with the ending.**

**Well... how did I do? Please let me know!**

**And feel welcome to check out my other work, ****_One Warrior._**** It's a book of all my one-shots.**

**Actually, speaking of one-shots... do you think I should stick to one-shots? Or should I do more multi-fics? I'd really like to know your opinion. I value it quite a bit.**

**Thanks!**


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